Open Sesame! What To Do With a Jar of Tahini

We keep a jar of tahini almost exclusively for the endless batches of hummus and baba ghanoush we make during these hot months. But a tablespoon here and there doesn't actually use that much, and we always end up with half the jar leftover at the end of the summer. We're determined not to let that happen this year!

It's helped us to remember that tahini is really another kind of nut butter and can often be used just like almond butter or peanut butter. We think it has a lighter and more earthy taste than other nut butters, and this actually makes it a great choice for a lot of savory dishes.

Here are a few ideas we've come up with:

• Whisking tahini with sesame oil and white wine vinegar to make a vinaigrette• Mixing it with soy sauce or miso and garlic to make a marinade or dipping sauce, like with this Tahini Miso Dressing• Adding it to gazpacho and other summer soups• Using tahini in place of peanut butter or other nut butters to make cookies• Tossing tahini with soba or udon noodles for cold noodle salads• Adding it to coleslaw, deviled eggs, and other picnic side dishes